By If you're looking for delicious, high-protein lunches that are easy to meal prep, you've come to the right place! High-protein + meal prep is our specialty, so let us give you our 22 best recipes so you can enjoy easy make-ahead lunches all week!
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What makes an ideal protein meal-prep lunch?
Well, most people want something that they can prep on Sunday that will last all week. Think hearty salads filled with chicken or beans, rice and meat bowls, shredded meat, and easy one-pot skillets. Dishes like leafy salads or thin-crust pizza that get soggy after a day in the fridge are NOT ideal for meal prep.
As a NASM certified nutrition coach, it's my passion to create nutritious recipes that are convenient to make at home. That's why these high-protein meal prep lunches all meet the following key characteristics:
- Easy and quick to prepare
- Keeps well in the fridge
- Minimum 25g of protein per serving (most have 40g+)
Let's get into our list:
Protein Meal-Prep Cold Salads for Lunch
These cold protein lunches are perfect for throwing in a cooler for a day at the beach, a picnic, or for work or school!
1. Italian Dense Bean Salad
15 mintues, 29g protein
Step aside, pasta salad; this Italian dense bean salad has all those delicious fresh flavors, but you don't have to cook anything! In just 15 minutes, you'll have a protein-packed lunch perfect for meal prepping. So grab a few cans of beans, and let's get mixing!
2. Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
10 minutes, 41g protein
Made with classic dill pickles and crunchy green onions, this dill pickle chicken salad recipe is the ultimate high protein meal prep-friendly lunch. It comes together in just minutes and can be enjoyed with crackers, in a wrap, with veggies, or on a sandwich - the possibilities are endless!
3. Street Corn Chicken Salad
20 minutes, 41g protein
Ready in just 30 minutes, this street corn chicken salad makes the best meal prep lunch. Pro tip: you can cut the preparation time down to 20 minutes if you use a rotissere chicken instead of baking your own! Enjoy it as is, with tortilla chips, or use it to make an elevated quesadilla.
4. Lemon Herb Israeli Couscous Salad
15 minutes, 36g protein
Made with loads of fresh vegetables and herbs, this lemon herb tuna couscous salad in a jar is the perfect meal prep. The secret is that everything is layered in the jar just right, so it doesn't get soggy! This allows you to grab the jar and mix right before eating it cold for lunch.
5. Green Goddess Salad
20 minutes, 25g protein (21g in salad + handful of sunflower seeds on top)
This salad is packed with fresh herbs, green veggies, fiber, and protein. But it doesn't contain the leafy veggies that get soggy, so it can last up to 5 days in the fridge, making it perfect for a healthy meal prep lunch!
If you're a vegetarian, be sure to check out our other high-protein vegetarian meal ideas.
6. Dill Pickle Tuna Pasta Salad
25 minutes, 29g protein
Made with our staple Greek yogurt-based ranch dill pickle dressing, this dill pickle tuna pasta salad is packed with protein and classic flavors. It's the perfect combination of creamy and crunchy!
7. High-Protein Tuna Salad With Peas
10 minutes, 36g protein
My love for tuna runs deep (it was my go-to childhood lunch), and this high-protein tuna salad is everything and more. Packed with protein, fiber, and summer flavors, it's the ideal lunch for a day at the beach or at work while you pretend you're at the beach. It's ready in 10 minutes, super versatile, and made with simple ingredients like petite peas, snap peas, Greek yogurt, and fresh lemon zest.
8. Gyro Chicken Salad With Yogurt Sauce
10 minutes, 28g protein
Made with fresh dill and fiber-rich chickpeas, this gyro chicken salad recipe is a super quick and tasty high-protein lunch option! It comes together in just minutes when made with canned chicken, or you can cook your own chicken if you prefer. We love to eat it with crackers, chips, in a wrap, or on a sandwich. The possibilities are endless!
9. Crispy Hot Honey Chicken Salad
15 minutes, 25g protein
This salad uses frozen breaded chicken tenders that we coat in a zingy hot honey sauce for the perfect salad topping! The secret to having this as a high-protein meal prep lunch is keeping the chicken, salad, and dressing separate until the day you eat it. If you do this you can enjoy it for up to 3 days in the fridge!
Hot Protein Meal-Prep Lunches
If you need a hot protein lunch, these recipes below are for you. They're all quick and convenient to reheat in the air fryer, on the stove, or in the microwave!
10. Philly Cheesesteak Skillet
30 minutes, 35g protein
When you're in need of a high-protein and low-carb lunch that's sure to be a hit with the family, you need this Philly cheesesteak skillet. It's been a favorite of our meal plan for months! Perfect when eaten on its own, or you can enjoy it in a sandwich, as a wrap, or as a bowl with rice or quinoa!
11. Cottage Cheese Chicken Buffalo Dip
45 minutes (10 minutes prep), 33g protein
This creamy dip is filled with chicken, cauliflower, cheese, and more! It makes a great hearty meal-prep lunch because it stores and reheats easily and can be enjoyed many ways - as dip for tortillas, as a bowl with rice, or in a sandwich or wrap!
12. Cottage Cheese Lasagna Pasta
40 minutes (10 minutes of prep), 32g protein
This skillet protein lasagna pasta is a hearty lunch filled with ground beef, carrots, three types of cheese, and the best Italian spices! Perfect for taking to the office and reheating for a delicious make-ahead meal that'll leave you satisfied and ready to take on the afternoon.
13. High-Protein Tuscan Chicken
30 minutes, 61g protein
Some may think of this Tuscan chicken as dinner, but I like to make a big batch for dinner and save the leftovers for lunch the next couple of days! Chicken is packed with protein as it is, but this amps up the protein with a creamy cottage cheese sauce. Enjoy it on its own or served on top of pasta or dipped with bread!
14. Balsamic Chicken With Peach Salad
30 minutes, 45g protein
Perfect for meal prep or a flavorful dinner, this grilled balsamic chicken with a peach salad is the ideal summer meal. It's packed with protein (45 grams!) and with a unique girardinia (Italian style oil and vinegar salad), it just keeps getting better with time! Get ready to fall head over heels for this fun take on grilled chicken.
15. Creamy Chicken and Rice
When you need an easy one-pot meal that takes 5 minutes to prep and the whole family will love, you need this creamy chicken and rice! Throw all the ingredients in one oven-safe dish, bake it, mix it, and you're done. It's that easy!
Then, store it in an airtight container for lunch and enjoy a meal that's packed with 53g of protein!
16. Cheddar Cauliflower Soup
20 minutes, 36g protein
When you're short on time (and energy), you can whip up this cottage cheese and cauliflower soup that packs 36g of protein! And when compared to the standard version that only has around 15, this is truly a high-protein recipe. You only need a little over 20 minutes to whip up this easy dinner that's best enjoyed with crunchy bread and chives!
Make-Ahead Protein Lunch Bowls
Protein lunch bowls are best for a mix of hot and cold lunches that are filled with a variety of meats and veggies!
17. Crack Chicken Burrito Bowls
30 minutes, 53g protein
I bet you haven't had burrito bowls like this before - with crispy kale, pickled red onions, and juicy chicken, they stand out as a unique and fun protein lunch! They're super filling, so they're perfect for someone looking for a protein lunch that will keep them fueled for a long afternoon.
18. Instant Pot Salmon and Rice
20 minutes, 31g protein
If you have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, you NEED to make this super simple protein salmon and rice. It serves as a base for endless make-ahead bowl lunches. We like to make ours with poke-bowl flavors like ginger, cucumbers, avocado, and sriracha sauce, but you can have it with whatever toppings your heart desires!
19. BBQ Chicken and Rice Bowls
20 minutes, 54g protein
Made with shredded chicken and a flavor-packed salsa, this BBQ chicken rice bowl is perfect for an easy summer make-ahead lunch. You can use any kind of chicken you have - leftovers, grilled, rotisserie, and your favorite barbecue sauce!
20. Spicy Beef Poblano Bowls
20 minutes, 30g protein
These beef poblano bowls pack a punch - both in flavor and protein! They're drizzled with a homemade creamy Greek yogurt lime sauce on top of bone broth protein rice. If you like to spice things up for lunch, this one's for you.
21. Shrimp Pineapple Bowls
25 minutes, 28g protein
Shrimp, rice, and a sweet homemade salsa make this a little bowl of tropical paradise. Just keep all the ingredients separate in the fridge and throw them together the day you're eating them, and you'll be smooth sailing for lunch!
22. Crustless Protein Pizza Bowl
30 minutes, 26g protein
Pizza may not be great for meal prep, but these crustless pizza bowls are! This make-ahead pizza bowl has riced cauliflower, lots of gooey cheese, and two kinds of meat. Plus, you can even make it with whatever toppings you like, such as mushrooms, peppers, olives, and more!
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